Tools / Chords / F♯ major 11th

F♯ major 11th chord on guitar (F♯maj11)

Also written F♯maj11 or F♯M11

F♯ major 11th contains F♯, A♯, C♯, E♯, G♯, B. The 2nd-fret grip demands a full barre and a pinky stretch to fret 4.

2nd fret2-2-3-3-2-4

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

F♯1Root

A♯3Major 3rd

C♯5Perfect 5th

E♯7Major 7th

G♯99th

B11Eleventh

Formula 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

Positions on the neck1 of 5

Inversions

The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.

Root positionF♯–A♯–C♯–E♯–G♯–BF♯maj11Bass F♯

First inversionA♯–C♯–E♯–G♯–B–F♯F♯maj11/A♯Bass A♯

Second inversionC♯–E♯–G♯–B–F♯–A♯F♯maj11/C♯Bass C♯

Third inversionE♯–G♯–B–F♯–A♯–C♯F♯maj11/E♯Bass E♯

Fourth inversionG♯–B–F♯–A♯–C♯–E♯F♯maj11/G♯Bass G♯

Fifth inversionB–F♯–A♯–C♯–E♯–G♯F♯maj11/BBass B

Why it sounds like that

F♯ major 11th is built from the formula 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 over F♯. The 11th, B, adds a suspended color above the major 7th. Compare it with F♯ major 9th, which stops at the 9th.

What goes wrong with F♯ major 11th?

Let the high e string buzz under the barre.
Allow the pinky to flatten onto the B string.
Mute the D string with the middle finger's underside.

When to use it

F♯ major 11th works as the tonic in F♯ major, especially in the I–IV–V–I progression F♯–B–C♯–F♯. It suits jazz, neo-soul, and slow ballads where the added 11th softens the major 7th. Try it in place of F♯ major for a lush ending.

Changing to and from F♯ major 11th

Sliding the shape down one fret to the 1st fret gives F major 11th.
From F♯ major, lift the pinky and move the middle and ring fingers down one string each.

Which voicing to use

The 2nd-fret voicing keeps F♯ in the bass for a grounded root position. The A♯ inversions put the third in the bass, making the chord sound brighter and less stable.

How do you play an F♯ major 11th chord on guitar?

2nd fret

Barre● On the diagram

F♯ major 11th is played at the 2nd fret as 2 2 3 3 2 4: barre your index finger across fret 2, middle finger on the D string at fret 3, ring finger on the G string at fret 3 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 4.

Tip — The index barre must fret the A string and high e cleanly while the pinky reaches fret 4.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	2	1 (barre)	F♯ (1)
5 (A)	2	1 (barre)	B (11)
4 (D)	3	2	E♯ (7)
3 (G)	3	3	A♯ (3)
2 (B)	2	1 (barre)	C♯ (5)
1 (e)	4	4	G♯ (9)

F♯maj11/A♯ inversion · fret 4

Barre

F♯ major 11th is played at the 4th fret as 6 4 4 4 6 4: barre your index finger across fret 4, ring finger on the low E string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 6.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	6	3	A♯ (3)
5 (A)	4	1 (barre)	C♯ (5)
4 (D)	4	1 (barre)	F♯ (1)
3 (G)	4	1 (barre)	B (11)
2 (B)	6	4	E♯ (7)
1 (e)	4	1 (barre)	G♯ (9)

F♯maj11/A♯ inversion · fret 6

Barre

F♯ major 11th is played at the 6th fret as 6 8 6 6 7 7: barre your index finger across fret 6, pinky finger on the A string at fret 8, middle finger on the B string at fret 7 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 7.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	6	1 (barre)	A♯ (3)
5 (A)	8	4	E♯ (7)
4 (D)	6	1 (barre)	G♯ (9)
3 (G)	6	1 (barre)	C♯ (5)
2 (B)	7	2	F♯ (1)
1 (e)	7	3	B (11)

F♯maj11/G♯ inversion · fret 2

Barre

F♯ major 11th is played at the 2nd fret as 4 2 3 3 2 2: barre your index finger across fret 2, pinky finger on the low E string at fret 4, middle finger on the D string at fret 3 and ring finger on the G string at fret 3.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	4	4	G♯ (9)
5 (A)	2	1 (barre)	B (11)
4 (D)	3	2	E♯ (7)
3 (G)	3	3	A♯ (3)
2 (B)	2	1 (barre)	C♯ (5)
1 (e)	2	1 (barre)	F♯ (1)

F♯maj11/G♯ inversion · fret 4

Barre

F♯ major 11th is played at the 4th fret as 4 4 4 4 6 6: barre your index finger across fret 4, ring finger on the B string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 6.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	4	1 (barre)	G♯ (9)
5 (A)	4	1 (barre)	C♯ (5)
4 (D)	4	1 (barre)	F♯ (1)
3 (G)	4	1 (barre)	B (11)
2 (B)	6	3	E♯ (7)
1 (e)	6	4	A♯ (3)

Common questions

How is F♯ major 11th written?

F♯ major 11th is written as F♯M11 or F♯maj11. The ASCII root is F#. It is also spelled G♭ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.

What is the difference between F♯ major 11th and F♯ major 9th?

F♯ major 11th adds the 11th, B, to the five notes of F♯ major 9th. The 11th creates a suspended sound against the major third.

Why does the 2nd-fret shape use a barre?

The barre at fret 2 covers the root F♯ on string 5, the fifth C♯ on string 6, and the ninth G♯ on string 2. It frees the other fingers for the 11th and major 7th.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

F♯ (1)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

B (11)

4 (D)

E♯ (7)

3 (G)

A♯ (3)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

C♯ (5)

1 (e)

G♯ (9)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

A♯ (3)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

C♯ (5)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

F♯ (1)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

B (11)

2 (B)

E♯ (7)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

G♯ (9)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

A♯ (3)

5 (A)

E♯ (7)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

G♯ (9)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

C♯ (5)

2 (B)

F♯ (1)

1 (e)

B (11)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

G♯ (9)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

B (11)

4 (D)

E♯ (7)

3 (G)

A♯ (3)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

C♯ (5)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

F♯ (1)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

G♯ (9)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

C♯ (5)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

F♯ (1)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

B (11)

2 (B)

E♯ (7)

1 (e)

A♯ (3)